The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-28
PRESC0ITpS CALAMITY.
Terrors Of the Cyclone at a Kan.
SaS Town.
Gouses Wrecked and Fleeing Inmates
Hurled to Death-A Number Killed and
Many Others Fatally Injured-The
Town Nearly Wiped Out.

PRESCOTT, Kan, April pa terrible cy-
clone visited this place about $50 Thursday
! evening, completely destroying the CITY,
About 20 houses were demolished. 1t had
been raining very hard and the waterfall
| was very heavy, when hailstones as large
as goose egg fell, breaking many WIN
dows, when suddenly the regular funnel
shaped cloud could be seen rapidly ap-
preaching from the northwest fully fifteen
minutes before the town was struck
| Houses could be seen twisting under the
heavy pressure of the mighty monster high
up in the sky. Every farm house In its
path, about one and quarter miles
wide. was wrecked and many happy
homes were destroyed. from twelve
miles northwest and eleven miles
/ southeast every thing was felled.
DICK Hardness and his wife and four
! Children and visitor-MIss Minnock, of
lakewood, IL.-with their house and all
were carried several hundred yards through
the air and dropped in an ad io:ning orchard.
| They lit on large apple tree, escaping in
slant death Mrs. Hardness, with an in
| FAINT in her arms, was terribly injured and
the others were badly cut ard bruised
Kit Hardness, a brother of the above and
| several others were III livery barn
! and all were carried quite distance and
badly injured many limbs being broken.
! The stable, costing 81, 000 is total wreck.
| ManlOve Brothers store and contents are
total loss. II. c. Trip, of McCord, Nave
& Co., Kansas City, Charles Blake and W.
| II. Billings were in the rear and were only
Slightly injured while Jake Stephens was
at the front door and was struck by
heavy timber and felled to the floor, dying
of strangulatiOn the timber having fallen
across his neck. Those in the rear could
hear his means and cries for help but were
powerless, they being penned in as we'll
Miss Lena Sellers, aged twenty-eight, will
probably die. She had just stepped out OF
L. Miller d Sons store ami was struck By
falling timber.
Mrs. Kit Hardness and children were
struck by a timber driven completely
through their residence and severely cut
and bruised. The house, very large one,
the finest i'll the city, was damaged 5000.
VIII McKale and family, who live one
mile and u quarter northwest, were sitting
around the fire when the house was struch
He was killed, and an infant taken from
Mrs. Mckale's arms was found dead
mile from the house. The rest of the
family were picked up iasensible from ad-
jacent parts of their farm. Four miles
northwest lived Mr.. and Mrs. Flynn, three
small children and a young lady from the
East visiting them, Miss McDanz. They
were taken up with the house and carried
about a half mile. Miss McDanz was
killed and the rest of them were badly
wounded. All were picked up insensible.
William Browning, who lived seven miles
northwest in a fine new residence. had his
house taken up and not trace of it can be
found. No one has seen piece CT ~ in the
twenty-five miles heard from. His loss was
$1,000. The family fortunately were in a
cellar and escaped injury. At the Crone
residence nothing is left of their beautiful
house. Mrs. Croue was killed outright and
the others were found scattered over a
forty-acre field. Every business house in
town is down or ruined. The few standing
buildings are pierced full of timbers while
the new Gulf depot is scattered over town.
The damage can not be estimated as the
town is ruined and probably will not be re.
built. Those killed are: VIII McKale and
infant, JAKE Stephens, who leaves wife
and babe destitute; Mrs. S. P. Demlng's
six months child, Mrs Sarah Crone, Miss
McGanz, Miles Deming's wife and child.
The mortally injured are: Mrs. Dick Hark-
2ess and one child, Mr.. Z. F. FLYNN and
three children, Mr.. and Mrs. Jake Breach,
=.
Walker and infant.
Others who were seriously though not
fatally injured were: Mr.. Kit Hardness
and wife and son, Neil; Mr. Dick Hardness
and three children; Jim Woodbridge arm
broken; Ed Han, arm broken; j. c. Krusig, |
struck by timber; Tinky Carer, badly hurt |
by hail stone; ". S. Bogart, Jim Kinney, |
Mrs NJ. Odell and infant, Mr.. Hogan and |
wife and William Campbell, struck with |
tImbers. The Baptist and Methodist |
Churches were damaged about 1900 each. |
One hundred thousand dollars would 10 |
more than cover the damage done to prop |
erty. Very few places were insured against |
cyclones.
Rich Hill Junction, on the Calf, small |
village, is laid low, only three buildings out |
of about dozen being left standing. p. c. |
SheltOn'S residence, large frame house,
was found about two miles west and his |
furniture and carpets We're found in atoms
in Missouri four and one-half miles away.
Fortunately every one was IN the cellar. /
Miles Miller's wife and child, living eleven
miles southeast, started for cellar and
were blown into a well and drowned.
Prescott was a village OF about 500 in
habitants, located eighteen miles nort1 of
Fort Scott, and there were about POO
houses in the village. An eye witness says:
1.-THE scene before the awful storm reached
Pre- scott is indescribable. Out from the
northwest sky came the huge
cloud, twisting and writing,
dipping to the earth and then ascending to
a height of 100 or more feet, and
resembling the trunk of all enormous ele-
plant. The cloud could be seen approach
ing for over seven miles. Deathlike still
ness reigned for while, and strange
fascination held the people spell bound.
Then the deep, sullen roar of the storm
could be heard increasing as the cloud
drew nearer. The shrill, piercing
shrieks of the women and children
hither and thither seeking
escape from the awful fate which
menaced them were heard on all sidos. As
the storm drew nearer it was seen to be
filed with all manner of objects whirling
round and round; houses and barns were
drawn into the vortex, lifted to height OF
q hundred yards, tossed to and fro, and
then dropped to the earth again, alghtIng
IN splinters.
Lost With All on Board.
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